The hippest sounds from the East and West
Peter Halloin
Issue date: 5/10/02 Section: Arts & Entertainment
The next piece began with an improvised duet between Richeson and Spiegel in an odd time signature that was hard to grasp, but the players made it sound easy. The ensemble kicked in with a rather happy-sounding melody, followed by solos by Chappell, Turner, and Gibson.
Richeson stole the show on this tune with his creative soloing over the top of a vamp. Spiegel snuck in at the end of Richeson’s solo, and built intensity for a solo of his own before the tune ended.
The show continued with more creative pieces of varying styles before Spiegel showed the audience his true virtuosity with a tabla solo. He began with just one short simple idea and then got busier by adding embellishments. The control he had over the drums was remarkable as he created long phrases with a lot of shape with just two drums. It was even more impressive when he stopped playing to explain exactly what he was going to play with a large variety of very fast syllables. He then played what he had just spoken with amazing accuracy, which really riled up the crowd.
The group finished the first set with the Wayne Shorter standard “Footprints” set to an Afro-Cuban groove. Turner constructed a spectacular cello solo on this tune, starting with something very simple, using lots of space, and then building intensity and venturing a little “outside” by incorporating interesting effects into his sound, as he is known to do. A highpoint of this piece was the duet between Spiegel and Richeson. Richeson began to play a solo, but then asked out loud for Spiegel’s help in improvising. The duet was brilliant, with both listening intently to one another and neither covering the other one up.
After a quick break, the group began again with another set. The second tune was one the high points of the evening beginning with a vibes and tabla vamp. Chappell played one of his most creative solos on this tune, fitting the style of the piece magnificently. Turner’s inventive cello solo was also striking. He really took to the style of Indian music in his solo as he emulated a Raga vocalist prodigiously.
Richeson stole the show on this tune with his creative soloing over the top of a vamp. Spiegel snuck in at the end of Richeson’s solo, and built intensity for a solo of his own before the tune ended.
The show continued with more creative pieces of varying styles before Spiegel showed the audience his true virtuosity with a tabla solo. He began with just one short simple idea and then got busier by adding embellishments. The control he had over the drums was remarkable as he created long phrases with a lot of shape with just two drums. It was even more impressive when he stopped playing to explain exactly what he was going to play with a large variety of very fast syllables. He then played what he had just spoken with amazing accuracy, which really riled up the crowd.
The group finished the first set with the Wayne Shorter standard “Footprints” set to an Afro-Cuban groove. Turner constructed a spectacular cello solo on this tune, starting with something very simple, using lots of space, and then building intensity and venturing a little “outside” by incorporating interesting effects into his sound, as he is known to do. A highpoint of this piece was the duet between Spiegel and Richeson. Richeson began to play a solo, but then asked out loud for Spiegel’s help in improvising. The duet was brilliant, with both listening intently to one another and neither covering the other one up.
After a quick break, the group began again with another set. The second tune was one the high points of the evening beginning with a vibes and tabla vamp. Chappell played one of his most creative solos on this tune, fitting the style of the piece magnificently. Turner’s inventive cello solo was also striking. He really took to the style of Indian music in his solo as he emulated a Raga vocalist prodigiously.
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